Corn sheller



July 10, 1923.

R. M. MlTcHELL CORN SHELLER Filed March 5. 1919 4` Sheets-Sheet 1 l Roag fBH @d July 10, 1923.

R. M. MITCHELL ooR'N SHELLER 'Filed March s, 1919 4 sheets-sheet 2 nlmljllllllly mlm un X) Zinnen/@071 H0363@ M July 1o, '1923.

R. M. MlTCHELL CORN SHELLER Filed March 3, 1919 1 sheets-sheet 5 July 10, 1923.

R. M. MITCHELL CORN SHELLER Filed March 5, 1919 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 ROBERT M. MITCHELL, vor CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AssIGNoa To INTERNATIONAL HAR- vnsTEn COMPANY. ACORPORATION OI' NEW JnasEY.

f CORN sHELLnR.

Application filed March 3, 1919. Serial No. 280,432.

To all whom t may concern y Be it known that I, ROBERT M. MITCHELL, a citizen of Vthe United States, residing at Chicago,'inv the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Corn Shellers, of which the following is a full, clear, andeXact specilication. v f This invention'relates to cornshellers and more particularly tov shellers of the cylinder type; I Y l The object of the invention is tojprovide aconstruction whichA will have a maximum capacity for the size of the cooperating elements, and a construction in which the shelling elements are capable of a fine adjustment with respectto'eachiother, whereby a thorough and efiicient shelling of the corn is obtained, and also to provide a structure by,v

means ofwhich the shelled corn' is thoroughly separatedfromthe cobs and chaf't1 or other foreign matter. Y n

One embodiment of the invention has' been illustrated inthe laccor'npanying drawings, and, in these drawings, e

Figurel 1- is a vertical longitudinal sectional'view of-the entire machine showing the various parts and their relative locations with respect to each other;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the shelling cage and shelling cylinder and the supporting brackets' for the'shelling cage;

Fig. 3 isa plan view showing the elements which make up, the shelling cylinder as spaced yapart from each other, but in posi`- tion to -beassembled;

Fig. 4 shows an end elevationforedge view of a section of one of the shelling rings;

Fig.`5 is a transversesectional view on an enlarged scale of the shelling mechanism showing means for adjusting. the shelling staves which form'the shelling cage;

Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate in plan and in transverse section one of the shelling staves;v

Figs. 8 and 9 are sectional views on an enlarged scale showing the shelling staves, sectors and cam ringfor adjusting'the sectors and staves;

Fig. y10 shows lan elevation of the cam ring, the shelling mechanism being shown in section; f i

Fig.- 11 is a planview of the cam ring;

Figi-12 shows in elevation on an enlarged scale,` ioneof the shelling stavel sectors;

yFig 13 is a view taken at right angles to Fig. 12 and illustrates a portion of a'sectioii of a shelling stave sector; 4 Fig. 14 is a plan viewof the lower halfof the Cam ring showing the Vconnection of the adjusting links thereto;

Fig.` 15 is a sectional view illustrating the constructionl ofthel 'other half of the cam ring and takenfon line 154-15` of F ig.l 11;

Fig. 16 is a sectional view showing'the shelling stave sectors, cam ring and shelling cage bracket; and f Fig. 17 is `an end elevation -of the shelling cage head. v rlhe general construction and locations of the various elements vutilized in my improved corn vsheller are illustrated in thesectional view in Figure 1. and in this figurel are. shown the hopper 20, shelling mechanism 21,; shelled corn separatingmechanism 22, shelled corn delivery mechanism 23, dust 'andchalf discharging mechanism 24. andy cob'elev'ator The`various parts of the mechanismy are supported in the present instance on va truck frame carried by wheels 26 yand comprising horizontal longitudinal fraine'members 27, vertical frame members-285and transverse' horizontal frame members 29V which may be of any suitable construction. The'corn shell ing mechanism which in this instance embodies a rotating 'shelling' cylinder surround! l Limas- ArsNr FME- 2 ed by a. stationaryadjustableshelling'cage, A'

willfiirstlbe described.

'A sh ft 30 is journaled in suitablev bear-f ings 31 carriedy by the v machine i frame',A thev central portion of the shaft beingenlarged .as shown at 32 and square in c'zrosssection,l

and the outer portions being reduced. A collar 33 is screwthreaded onto one outer end "portion ofthe shaft and forms aseat for one' end of a conical .feeding memberc34 which is provided with an annular' channel1 35'inl which is seated the 'collar-33.* They feeding member 34 is provided' with'spiral ribs 35 which assist in feeding'the material fedinvthe hopper36 rearwardly-Kto the shell. ing mechanism.y A ycylindrical 'supportingV member 37 is secured to the central portion 32 of the shaft 30 against longitudinal'movement by any suitable means, such as the-set screw 38, and said cylinder is provided on its Outer surface withv a series of longitudif nal, ribs 39, these ribs bein'gfprovided for the purpose of positioningtheshelling rings which make up. the shelling cylinder, as will be hereinafter more fully described.

The shelling cylinder is provided with a series of shelling rings 40, each of said rings being made up of two semi-circular sections 41, one of these sections being illustrated in Fig. 4. The construction of these rings and the method of assembling the rings on the supporting cylinder should be particularly noted, since these rings are so constructed and assembled that if a break occurs in one of the rings, the inter-engaging portions of the broken parts of that ring with corresponding portions on the adjacent rings, will prevent the broken parts from being separated from the remaining parts, and will therefore prevent injury to the cylinder and the possiblewrecking of the machine.

Each of the sections of the shelling rings isv provided at each edge with two sets of outwardly projecting arcuate lugs 42 and 43, the lugs 43 being located on one circumference and the lugs 42 being located on another circumference, the circles or circumferences being concentric and having as their center the center of the shelling cylinder. The innersurfaces of the shelling rings are provided with inwardly projecting lugs 44 which are spaced apart to form a notch 45 for the reception of the longitudinal ribs 39 on the supporting cylinder 37.

In assembling the sections of the shelling rings on the supporting cylinder, the breaks between the two sections of adjacent rings are disposed in staggered relation so that the breaks between the sections of one ring will not come opposite the breaks between the sections of the adjacent rings. The sections are also so positioned on the cylinder that the lugs 43 on the sections of one ring will overlap and interlock with the lugs 42 on the sections of the adjacent ring. Figure 3 which shows the shelling rings spaced apart, clearly illustrates the relative positions of these rings as they are ready to be assembled. The rings are all provided with outwardly projecting ribs 46 which engage the ears or cobs and assist in shelling the corn. The shelling ring disposed at the inlet or front end of the shelling cylinder is provided on o-ne edge with the arcuate lugs 42 and 43 and on its opposite edge is provided .with a beveled portion 47 which engages a corresponding beveled portion 48 formed on the rear end of the feeding member 34. The rear end of the cylinder is closed by what may be termed a head ring 49 provided on its outer surface with ribs 50 corresponding totheribs 46 on the shelling rings, andrhaving a beveled channel portion 5l adapted to engage with a beveled projecting portion 52 formed on the end shelling ring. The head ring is also provided with a central aperture through which one reduced end portion of the shaft 30 extends, the head ring being properly positioned on this shaft by means of a hub 53 having an arcuate engaging por# tion 54 which engages with a corresponding arcuate portion 55 formed on the head ring, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2. A locking collar 56 may be placed on the shaft 30 to secure the hub 53 against displacement. By means of this rocking or self-aligning connection between the head ring and the shaft 30, the proper positioning of the head ring and of the shelling cylinder is assured.

Having described in detail the construc tion of the shelling cylinder, the construc-` tion of the shelling cage will next be considered. l

The shelling cage is made up, briefly, of four parts, namely, the staves (which form the cage), the stave sectors, the cam rings (which adjust the stave sectors and staves),

and the shelling cage brackets. In Fig. 5 I

have illustrated the shelling cage brackets 57 which arel secured in any suitable manner to the frame members 27. These brackets are` bolted to each other by suitable bolts 5,8, and form together what may be termedk the shelling cage heads.

It will be understood without further description that one of these heads is positioned at each end of thel shelling cylinder as shown in Fig. l, and in the following description l will limit myself to a single head, it being understood that the two heads are exactly similar.

rEach of the heads is provided -with a series of notches 59 -circumferentially located, and reinforced by inwardly projecting lugs 60. The purpose of the notches is to `prevent the rotation about the she-lling cylinder shaft of the shelling stave sectors by the cam rings when these sectors are being adjusted. The cam rings 6l are positioned on the insides of the flanges 62 of the shelling cage brackets, and are angular in outline as shown in Fig. 9. Each of the cam. rings is made up of two sections as illustrated in Fig. 1l, and each section is provided with a series of eccentric lugs 63 and with bearing surfaces 64 concentric with said lugs. The lugs and bearing surfaces are adapted to engage corresponding portions on the shelling stave sectors 65, said sectors having channel portions 66 to engage the lug 63 Von the cam rings and hav-v ing outer surfaces 67 to engage the bearing surfaces 64 on the cam rings. The shelling stave rsectors are alsol provided with laterally projecting llugs 68 which are adapted to be received in the notches 59 of the shelling cage heads, as illustratedinY Figs. 16 and 1T. The sectors are each provided with channels 69 which are adapted to re-l ceive arcuate lugs 70 formed on the outer.-

ends of the shellingstaves 71, whereby as the sectors are moved towardand from the' cylinder shaft, the staves Willbe. correspondi ingly' moved. Lugs 72 are also formed" on the stave sectors and'engage with shoulders n vided means for 'obtaining an exceedingly fine adjustment, and "means lwhereby' the shelling cage may .bei contracted or expanded in exceedingly lsmall increments.t This mechanism is illustrated in detail in Figs.v

f 5, 10 and 14, and comprises acrank 7 @j ournale'd iny a bracket 75 secured to oneofj the framel members 27 and? having a screw threaded lsleevel .76y receiving the threaded end 77 of alinln78.` The I'link y7:8 is pivotally lconnected at'7 9 with a link 80which iszpivotedv at its opposite'end on a pin-8l carried bythe lowerv sectionof the camring 6l. `Acotter pin 82' is-'provided on the outer end of 'the' pin 81 to l,prevent .the accidental -removal of the link 80.-

The method of operating i the adjusting mechanism for theshelling cagewill now be brieflyV described, it :being understood that the shelling cage at eachl end ,of the cylinder is provided with separate' adjusting` mechanism whereby the. opposite ends of the shelling` stavesmay be adjusted independently. y

lIn adjusting these staves the usual cusL tom is `to-space t-he inlet endv of the `staves at a greater` distancev from the'shelling cylinder than theoutlet` ends, for the reason that the'inlet endsreceive the corn colis iu substantially their normal condition, whereas vas the cobs passzt'rom one end of the cylinder to the other,u they areA broken up and thev corn is shelled therefrom;

lVhen the operatorffdesiresitoadjust the shelling staves he rotateszthecrank'ft thereby-throughthe links L78 andSO rotatingthe cam ring in the shellingcage'brackets. As the cam ring is rotated, the shelling stave sectors 65 are forced: by. the 'cam rings to-y wardfor fromthe center of thecam ring or L the shelling jcylinder shaft by. means of V'the j engagement of thelug 63 and bearing surl faces 64Kon the cani ring with the-channels 66 and bearing surfaces 67. on thestave sectors. They lugs 68 v onthe sta-ve sectors engaging with 'the notches -59 on theshellingcage heads, prevent-the rotation of -the stave (sectors. As' the shelling stave sectors are Iuoved toward and romrthe center of the cam ring-or the shelling cylinder shaft,

`the sectors will carry with them the shell.

through the `1 shellingcage'- and"`certain of theg'shelled corn drops through the llongitudinal slots83 formed'in the shelling staves 7l, and in order' tov direct this shelled corn q downwardly to the separating mechanism,

I have provided anv inclined chute 84,'the upper'vportion of this chute being closed and, preferably, formed ofsheet metal asv shown'Y at 85, andthe lower portion of'A the chute Vbeingprovided with a series of spaced'l longitudinal 'members 86 forming, acomb. l,

In order to separate the vshelledcinrn which passes yout at the outlet fend of the shelling cage and also passes ydownwardlyjover"theiA chute 84, I'haveprovided a yseries of set's'of rotatably i mounted, intermeshing,'triangular` shapeddisks 87 ,preferably formed of steel. t

These disks are driven.'` inthe dire'ctionof the arrow' shownl at A in Fig. 1,"any suite able driving connections being utilized.`

I, have illustrated fdiagrammatically" and in dotted lines' in" Fig. l a series Voi`^gears SScarried bythe sha'tson which'are'sup- Y ported the jsets of disks, andaseries of idlerl gears 89 interposed between the Vgears 88 in orderthat all of the sets oi disks may l berotatedinfthe saine s direction, A`Asthe shelledv corn,l'c'hatf and husks or other vv,forrthe rotating disks, the shelled cornppasses down `.between the "disks onto an 'inclined chute 90,- or an inclinedchute 91, andfby means-of these members is directed tothe shelledV corn elevator `23. The cobs which? are V conducted t0 .the rea-r of the shelledvcorn separator, pass downwardly through a chute 92'to a cob elevator 25, the chute 92 beingk provided at its -front end with a'series'of longitudinally projecting spaced vteeth "93 which form a comb 'andoverlap the rvrearwardly positionedl set of disks, thereby pref' venting any of the cobs from falling downwardly onto the 'chute 91.*v f In order toassist in removing thehusks, ChalQandYOreign matter from the shelled corny as *itl passes over the shelled corn separator-,v afan' 94=ispositio`ned below the separator andl directsla blast upwardly through the'rotat# ik ingl disks,thereby blowing the light'y material such v as dust, chail',l vhusks and. other foreign matter, upwardly.l A suction fan 95 is positionedabo'vethe e'Xit lend of the separator and directs the chad and foreign matter blown upwardly byf--theffan 94 into a delivery member 96A by, meansyof whichv Ait is removed from the machine.` f

Having described A'the various `elements whicheonstitutemy improved corn shelling' f y 4 machine, I willnow briefly set forth the 125 ff y As the-'cornf-'is 'fed "into the vrmachine vthrough the hoppe'r`20, iti's 'received-by the yfeeding member and-is. Jfed to the shelling i complete ,operation of -the'se elements;

cylinder by means kof which the'husks andv lkernels of corn are removed from the cobs.

A part of the shelled corn passes through thesl'ots in the staves and the remainder of the shelled corn, cobs, husks and other foreign matter, passes out at the outlet end of the shelling cage. T he corn passing through the slots in the staves is directed downwardly by the chute 84 to the shelled corn separating mechanism, and lthe material passing out at the outlet end of the shelling cage drops directly on this separating mechanism. By means of the rotating sets of interineshing disks the shelled cornV is separated from the cobs, husks kand foreign matter and 'passes betweenthese' .disks onto chutes 9() and 91, by means of which it is directed to theshelled corn elevator mechanism, 23. The chaff, husks, andv foreign matter are blown upwardly by the fan 94' and are vremoved from the machine by the suction fan 95, and the cobs pass down thev chute 92 to the cob elevator 25.

Although l have described but one embodiment of my invention, it should be understood that the invention. is capable of many modilications. Changes, therefore, in the construction and arrangement of parts may be made which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as eX- pressed in the following claims.

I claim l. Shelling mechanism for corn shellers comprising in combination, a cylinder, a shelling cage enclosing said cylinder and ncluding a plurality of adjustable sta-ves, stave sectors engaging said staves, and cam mechanism engaging said stave sectors.

Q'. Shelling mechanism for corn shellers comprising in combination, a cylinder, a shelling cage enclosing said cylinder and includi-ng a plurality of adjustable staves, sta-ve sectors engaging said staves. means for adjusting said stave sectors, and means for preventing the rotation of said stave sectors about the center of the shelling` cylinder an aXis. y n

3. Shelling mechanism for corn shellers comprising in combination', a bracket, a cam ring carried by said bracket, stave sectors mounted in said cam ring and having portions. engaging s'aid bracket, and shelling stave carried by said stave sectors.

t. shelling` mechanism for corn shellers comprising in combination, a! cylinder., a shelling cage enclosing said cylinder and including a plurality of adjustable staves, stave sectors engaging said staves, a shelling cage head, and means carried by said sectors and engaging said head for preventing rotation of. said sectors. l

5. Shelling` mechanism for corn shellers comprising in combination, a cylinder, a shelling cage enclosing said cylinder and including a plurality ofi adjustableV staves, stave sectorsfengaging said staves, means for adjusting'said stave sectors, a shelling cage head having a series of circumferential notches therein, and lugs carried by said stave sectors and engaging said notches for preventing the rotation of said sectors as said sectors are adjusted.

6. In a corn sheller, a shelling cylinder comprising a supporting member having outwardly projecting ribs, and a plurality ferential surface from those at the oppositel end and longitudinally' alinedA therewith.

8. In a corn Sheller, a shelling cylinder comprising a supporting member and a plu.-

rality of. sectional shelling rings mountedon said member to rotate therewith, each section of said shelling rings being pro'- vided on each edge with a plurality of sets of outwardly proj eeting lugs7 certain of said lugs being disposed in 'different circumfen ntial surfaces from certain others of said ugs.

9. In a corn Sheller, a'shelling cylinder comprising a supporting member1 and a pluralitv of shelling rings mounted on said member to rotate therewith, each of said rings comprising` a plurality of sections and each section having portions interlocking with corresponding portions on adjacent sections, said rings being .so mounted on said supporting member that the junction of the two sections of one ring will be disposediin a different longitudinal plane passing through the center of the shelling cylinder from the junction of the sections of the shelling rings adjacent thereto.

10. In a corn sheller, a shelling cylinder ycomprising a supporting member having outwardly projecting ribs, and interlocking shelling rings having inwardly extending portions adapted to engage said ribs.

ll. Ina cern sheller', a shaft, a feeding member carried thereby, a shelling cylinder comprising a plurality of shelling rings', the shelling ring adjacent said feeding member liavinga portion overlapped bv the. exit end of saidm'ember` a headring disposed at' the opposite end of saidshelling cylinder, and a self-aligning'connection between said head ring andV said shaft.

In testimonv whereof yI niv'sign'atare.

'ROBERT M. MITCHELL. 

